Marriage, Birthday Boy and friendships

An amazing Photo of My home Astoria I saw on-line. Glad to be home. Queens Drivers Amaze me- every-time I see something they do, I get upset, and I just need to remember... A year ago, they were driving a donkey.

Exhausted and happy to come home.

Baby Giz: Never knew I was a little dog lover

Birthday gift for me- Giz's Papoose

I love being home
When I'm back I get to be in my own bed with my wife and dog, They are the most essential things in my life.
I love our Hood in Queens. When I'm home, I never really feel like I'm home- I usually have to run around the country doing gigs.

Being home allows me to spend time with my family and friends.
My family is Angie and Gizmo.


This year has been busy, and all my friends are getting hitched. I love The people who surround my life. Before I get all gooey here, I have a bunch of jack asses too.
Someone taught me to cut them out.
There are a lot of family's starting in the crowd I hang with.
I'll be doing a blog about my wedding and honeymoon, but with so much new love blossoming this past year or so, I thought I would share the love.


Weddings This Year

A great friend Marc and Ginny Lunds Wedding in Long Island

Best friend, Carl LaBove

Angie celebrating the 4th at The Lund Wedding

Quote by Rumi-Lovers does not finally meet somewhere. They are in each other all along... Also what I would say to try and score on a first date.

Marc and Ginny- I knew Marc and was with him the day I met Angie.

Joy and Angie at Joys Wedding

Smart groom, he took his food with him when greeting the guests.

Everyone seems to be friends with are getting married this year. Almost a year ago was my big day. When I get to share a day like this, it really makes me sentimental... or just mental.

Vinnie and Joy are getting hitched. Vinnie, I hope you are a grower, not a shower.

James and Yukiko newlyweds at truck night- the most romantic place on earth

When I announced once on stage I just got married women in the audience booed me, I thought that was odd, but then she yelled out I was a fool. I snapped and said, "You've been in so many abusive relationships when I said, "Married," your eye swelled up."

Tim and Kristen and now with a bambino

Pete and Jamie
The more you invest in a marriage, the more valuable it becomes... They say Amy Grant said that, but I think a wedding planner said that at Quote time (for wedding cost, not sayings).

Mark and Nikki stroll The Brooklyn Bridge before getting hitched.

Mike and Dana. She only played my girlfriend in the movies.

The Fraley's

Peyton and Heather. We became friends right before they got married. They got Hitched In New Orleans a week Before Angie And I went down to our Honeymoon.

I missed a lot of this wedding because of my Tour schedule. 

I got a gig in Indy: I'm going to see my old pal!

Bowers: The king of beer pong

Remember Chris Jones from El Salvador? Well, he was going home to Indy in April... I'm playing Mortys (in Indy-April 28 till May 1st). Looks Like the boys are getting the band back together. Not so fast, Chris is back in Indy but is shipping out to New Hampshire The Day Before I fly in. I can't believe this!!
I miss Chris by a day, BUT I'll be headlining with a great comic as a feature (Sam Morril- winner of The Laughing Skull Fest), so I know this will be a great week. On Sunday, we are doing Tales from The Greenroom- a little storytelling shows I love doing. I also had a great podcast interview with Greenroom Radio and Vilmos, and I become friends, and I hope we can work together soon.
MY INTERVIEW





I did the weekend and every morning woke up in pain severe pain. My head was throbbing, and the only way to make it go away was to start drinking again, it was a bunch of bloody Mary mornings in Indy. Thinking it was a hangover (Thanks Bowers), I ignored it till Sunday. This pain was so bad I couldn't close my mouth. I called the owner, and he picked me up. Not sure what it was or what was wrong- he took me to an emergency dentist. I had to get an emergency root canal. Its 3 hours before the storytelling show. What do I do?

ROOT CANAL!!!!! In the ER

The owner had to leave to start the show (The storytelling show- everyone does 10 min then we tell "tales of the greenroom" after)
They were filling the hole in my mouth and writing my prescriptions as the show started.  The host explained where I was and mentioned they didn't know what was going to happen.
I got to the club as the second comic took the stage, when I walked on stage with a pina colada on the side of my face, drooling and did the 15min. Of stand up, making fun of this situation, and moving into explaining the storytelling part of the show. Still numb... then in pain I mentioned the meds were wearing off- they sent a few shots up..... and then numb again. We were on stage over 2 hours, telling some great stories.

That was a fantastic weekend, and I'll always love me some Indianapolis.




Birthday week: West Virginia-Columbus-Boston New Hampshire

 

West Virginia located in White Sulphur Springs. As a National Historic Landmark, The Greenbrier has hosted distinguished guests from around the world since 1778. The casino was the most elite places I have ever been, Pianos in every room, marble everything. I wish we could have brought Angie.:

The Giz Hits The Road with Papa Bear. That's our trucker Handles.

The week of My Birthday, I was working with Spanky at a fantastic Casino in West Virginia, then spent some time in Ohio at My parents during the gap of time before Columbus. After spending a great couple days with Ryker, brother Ronnie, Spanky, and Parents. Spanky is pretty much family with my parents. We headed to Columbus for a show.

Time at home was what I really needed unwinding with your family makes you forget you are a grownup and have to do grown-up things.. I went to Columbus the night before my birthday and made it back to my parents at midnight had cake and then drove to Boston to meet up with DJ Hazard.

The lobby in The Casino. Dwight D. Eisenhower hosted the North American Summit Conference at The Greenbrier March 26-28, 1956. He was also at the resort three times in World War II when The Greenbrier was used as an Army hospital. Once he was admitted as a patient and the other times he was here with Mrs. Eisenhower for rest and relaxation

Spanky and Ryker chillin'.. nude

Ryker and Gizmo: Best Buds as long as Rykers serving

 

Congress has a bunker here: In the late 1950s, the U.S. government once again approached The Greenbrier for assistance, this time in the construction of an Emergency Relocation Center-a bunker or bomb shelter-to be is occupied by the U.S. Congress in case of war. The classified underground facility was built in conjunction with an above-ground addition to the hotel, the West Virginia Wing, between 1959 and 1962. For thirty years, the facility codenamed Project Greek Island was maintained at a constant state of operational readiness. At any point during those years, one telephone call from officials in Washington, D. C. fearing an imminent attack on the capital would have turned the lavish resort into an active participant in the national defense system. At the end of the Cold War, and prompted by exposure in the press in 1992, the project was terminated, and the bunker decommissioned.

Birthday on the road


Indy is a great town, but how about New England.. for old friends. I spent my birthday in the car for 16 of the 24 hours on my way to Boston. From Boston, we headed up to Portsmouth New Hampshire to meet up with my good friend Chris Jones. Jonesy and DJ took me to a car show, out for drinks and dinner before a show. I love Jonsey and am happy for him, he was waiting for his wife and two daughters to move up to New England.

 

New Hampshire Car Show

 

 This Has been full of little coincidences and funny little moments, I feel like the world is full of these. These moments are what make life special. We need to remember to enjoy these times, one day I feel like I'm going to look back and remember these days as carefree even though in the moment I am always worried and feel stressed out.

El Salvador

One last look in the Morning at Honduras

There is no safe place in San Salvador.

Welcome To El Salvador

Sean, Carol and Jonsey

All aboard the P-3

Surveillance. Land Sea and Air

As soon as we landed in San Salvador, we got picked up by an Amazing security team. Chris Jones and Sean Thornton. We took a bulletproof bus to the base and got a briefing.

El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821, like all the countries in the region and elsewhere, and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992. 

This small and volcano covered country is one of the most violent countries in the world. It is the home of the 18th street gang and MS-13, two of the most violent groups in the world. 

There are 5.8 million citizens in the country, 25,000 of them are gang members. In a country a little bigger than Massachusetts, there are 12 homicides a day. Currently, El Salvador has a murder rate of approximately 54 per 100,000 people, while the United States murder rate is around 6 per 100,000.

Don't ever let Carol fly- she starts talking and always misses the final approach.

El Salvador’s high murder rate brings the speculation that most of their murders currently go unsolved and with a little investigation. Coupled with the idea of death squads killing gang members would leave the assumption that El Salvadorian law enforcement officers would focus their resources towards the most serious of crimes—the killing of innocent persons, rather than the murders of gang members. With this in mind, it would be common knowledge that individuals or groups could murder gang members or criminals with little chance of being identified by law enforcement. The gang is growing every day and all over the world. We sat in on a briefing, and the most prevalent thing repeated though out is There is no safe place in San Salvador (El Salvador capital)

   

In the cockpit with the gals

Me making my best impression of my dad's angry Mustache

Private eyes. Clap* they are watching you. They see your every move.

In El Salvador, with the water there, you never want to see this sign.

We got a tour of a P-3 aircraft Originally designed as a land-based, long-range, anti-submarine warfare patrol aircraft, and its mission has evolved in the late 1990s (started building them in the '60s) as surveillance at sea or overland.
The P-3 has advanced submarine detection. That helped us during the cold war with the Ruskies!

 We got a tour of the base as well. The guys were so much fun when we got to the hotel we checked in and hung out with Sean and Chris. We had a couple drinks and ate dinner while they set the outside up for us.

Feliz Navidad Merry Christmas Noel and Bah Humbug!

I am the Grinch!

No Place is safe in San Salvador.

I love hanging with the Navy guys. I heard this a few times, Navy guys love tattoos and drinking, I am too hairy for tattoos but love drinking. I had a feeling the show that night was going to be great, and it was.

These tours are very special to me, and every one of them I meet guys, I know I will stay in touch with and make lifelong friends. This trip is no exception. During the show, a bat swooped in, and I said it was a gang spying on our comedy show.

Navy loves Tattoos and Drinking.

Its Showtime, Poolside in December

The Drunk Table!

Our greenroom was poolside.

Next morning we head home, Shawn drives us to the airport.

This is not how you want to leave Central America powder on mustache and shirt.

On the to Central America and back home, every single security guard who checked my passport noticed it is MARK ANTHONY Riccadonna. And all of them wanted to know if I know who he is, if I'm related or like his music just because we have the same first and middle name. Now I know how Kevin Downey Jr feels.